Renate Bertlmann. Carlone Contemporary

In 2020, the Belvedere will be showcasing the work of multimedia artist Renate Bertlmann for the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2019 as part of the CARLONE CONTEMPORARY series: a field of red knife-roses. The installation will feature sensuous flowers made of Murano glass paired with razor-sharp blades emerging from the buds. This juxtaposition of fragility and aggression mirrors the duality found in the frescoes of the Carlone Hall at the Belvedere.

For the exhibition starting in February 2020 at the Upper Belvedere, the Austrian artist developed a new version of her contribution to the Biennale. Red Murano glass roses, rigorously arranged in a grid pattern, will adorn the lavishly frescoed Carlone Hall of the palace. This juxtaposition of fragility and aggression mirrors the duality found in the Baroque frescoes. The ostensibly fragile blossoms are not without protection as they are armed with blades protruding from each one of their flower heads; in fact, they themselves pose a threat. The contradiction proclaimed in the work's title of Discordo Ergo Sum [I dissent, therefore I am], thus becomes physically materialized in the space.

 More info: https://www.belvedere.at/en/renate-bertlmann

Image: Discordo ergo sum, Austrian Pavillon, BiennaleArte2019, © Bildrecht, Vienna, 2019, Photo: Sophie Thun